A pair of building permits have been filed, one for a contentious housing development and the other for a McDonald’s restaurant.
The first is for a multi-family housing project between Ace Hardware and the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. The project – calling for 40 to 50 apartments in a mix of one-, two-, and three bedroom units – was proposed by KCG Properties of Indianapolis in the summer of 2023. The property was zoned for industrial use at the time.
It drew heated opposition from residents concerned that local schools, law enforcement, healthcare providers and utilities couldn’t accommodate the number of people who may live there. Some suggested the affordable housing units would bring drugs and crime to the community.
The city’s planning commission approved the necessary rezoning of the property for residential use in January 2024.
In April 2024, 11 city residents, led by two rental property owners who do not live in the city, filed a lawsuit against the city claiming the mayor and council had been arbitrary and capricious in their actions and encouraged the creation of nuisance conditions and incompatible land uses.
The lawsuit was dismissed, but the petitioners appealed to the Iowa Court of Appeals. That court affirmed the district court’s decision in November.
The second permit is build a McDonald’s restaurant at the corner of N. Elm and E. Adams Sts. The vacated Hastings Funeral Home building is there now. Jefferson building/zoning officer Chad Stevens told GCNO following the March 10 city council meeting that KCG has filed an updated building permit and that Bishop Engineering of Des Moines has filed a permit application for the McDonald’s restaurant. Neither permit had been paid for as of that date. No site work or construction can begin until the permit has been paid, Stevens said.
